Ethiopia: Breaking the cycle of early marriage by building successful businesses

Yordanos’s food shop with electricity and Wi-Fi

Yordanos is a member of a savings group established by CARE and supported by Beiersdorf, a German multinational. Through the group, she accesses loans and saves money to expand her business. Recently, she installed electricity and Wi-Fi in her shop for a better dining experience.

Despite challenges like water shortages, she finds solutions—negotiating with a nearby building for water access. “I don’t like that my customers have to sit on the road. But I’ll change that once I’ve earned enough,” she explains, as she dreams of turning her shop into a real restaurant and funding her own pharmacy.

Seniya’s egg business and goats

Like Yordanos, 22-year-old Seniya is also a member of a savings group supported by CARE. She took loan from the group and now raises chickens and goats to support her family.

“I have 14 chickens, but only seven lay eggs because I can’t afford enough feed,” Seniya says as she collects eggs, placing them gently into a silver tray.

She sells each egg for 10 Ethiopian Birr (around 17 cents), and some of her income goes to the savings group. As a money box key holder in the group, Seniya helps oversee savings and loans for 30 young women.

She is the primary provider for her family. Her mother Nujuma struggles to make ends meet, selling papayas on the street.

“With Seniya’s business, we are surviving. She is our strength,” she says.

Beyond businesses: No to early marriage

Beyond building businesses, women from the savings groups are breaking the cycle of early marriage. During a group discussion, half of them raised their hands when asked if they were married before 18, while the other half—like Seniya—had refused early marriage proposals.

Despite the difficulties, Seniya is determined to create awareness in her community about the dangers of early marriage. “I want to teach others not to marry early, but to accomplish something first.

“I said no at 16 because I saw my friends and mother struggle after marrying young,” Seniya shares. Her mother married at 15 and had Seniya at 16.

“I didn’t want to grow up with my child. I want to be a parent, not just a mother,” Seniya says.

CARE’s training on early marriage gave these young women the tools to take control of their futures.

Breaking barriers, building futures

Both Yordanos and Seniya have become the pillars of their families. Yordanos took on the role of sole breadwinner after her parents’ divorce. “My food shop gives me mental freedom,” she explains. “I support my family, and we’re doing well.”

Seniya, likewise, fills the financial gap for her large family, helping to care for her younger siblings. “I hate being dependent. One day, I want to tell stories like mine to create awareness,” says Seniya.

Both young women are paving the way for a better future, for themselves and their families. Yordanos dreams of owning a pharmacy, while Seniya plans to expand her livestock business. Through the support of CARE’s programs, these women are building businesses, rejecting early marriage, and leading their families and communities by example.